The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-23
s soa guns Tor the navy and sea-coast and o,ber
who1n Referred to the committee of the

ern guns for the navy and sea-coos+ -.
whole. VIC committee OF the
,hat NC . committee report unanimously. and saw
nror;s "n.ie .hey concur in the wisdom of making
provision looking to q system of nphlic dafar.es
winch shall protect our seaboard ana 80 ,.os.
.a oo ~ case OF the contingency of war which
e"o com lttee do not consider in any der,ee i'm
nv naa eues decline to adopt the proposed BILL
uu1 recommend the substitute therefor which IN
the Judgment Of the committees will fuliv raa,
az present exlgencies and place the country in a
p , readily and quickly to provide AGAINST
"a, ru.nre exleences as they may arise. In re-
ierrine to the appropriation of $3.50 900 fer steel
castings and forgings for enn material for
si;ssh', ten and twelve-inch breech-loadinc
liiie guns, the report says: cit NAV be
asAeu why the amount appropriated is SO
1aua, anu why no provision is made for still
1.lser gun. and why the appropriation is re-
strlcted to steel and excludes cast iron The
answer OF the committee to these nterrogatives
may be briefly stated. Steel was selected be-
oause the committee believes it much the best
material Tor guns. as proven by actual test, and
l. would seem to be a manifest truth to the or
binary mindfrom common observation Why
are steel rails preferred liz construction of rail-
ways, and why is cast-iron laid aside and steel
substituted! Inc answer is manifest By
reason OF the greater endurance of steel: the
strain, shock and wear to which the rail is sub
Jected is better endured by steel. The amount
liked is believed to be fully as large as can be
prohtably expended in material in the time with
IN which the appropriation is limited, and the
size OF the guns designated fully as large as it
may reasonably be expected will be produced
and manufactured within the time limited The
manufacture OF steel for guns in this country is
In its infancy. No eleven or twelve-inch steel
gun has been produced, and no manufacturer
has the plant ready to handle them. 1t seems a
simple thing to order twelve or fifteenth inch
rine 10 De made, but we consider the enormous
strain which such gun must bear in order to
De success and the great danger, both to the men
employed TO handle it in action and to the place
proposed to be protected by it, in case OF failure
wnen the gun shall be put into use at critical
moment 1t Is manifest to the committee that
real progress in the art of gunm making in Amer
lea means the adoption Of the conservative
axiom, make haste slowly.
'Gun manufacture of the kind contemplated
by this act is in its infancy in this country and
1t must learn to creep before it can walk and
walk before 1t can While the producer of
material, from his past experience would hesi-
tate to contract for material required for a
hfteen-inch gun, he would very readily assume
TO supply material for an eight-inch gun. be-
cause. of the experience we have already had in
| the construction of six-inch guns and having
become familiarized with necessary requirements
Tor an eightinch, he will just as readily advar
TO ten-lnch gun. and so on"
The report outlines and comments upon the
other features Of the bill
The House then went into committee Of the
whole-Mr. Mcmillan, of Tennessee. in the
chalr-for consideration of the Senate amend
| mendments to the postoffice bill. The only
amendment upon which non-cencurrence is rec
commended is that appropriasine $780, 900 for
| transportation of foreign mails by American
| steamships to South and Central America and
| the empire of Brazil
Mr. Burrows, of Michigan, moved concur
renee, and spoke in favor of his motion.
Pending further debate the committee rose,
and the House proceeded to consideration of
resolutions expressive of regret at the death of
| Senator Austin S. Pike, of New Hampshire.
| Euogies were delivered by Messrs. Haines and
Galinger, of New Hampshire; Long of Massa-
chusetts, Holman of Indiana, Brown of Penn
| sylvania, Rockwell of Massachusetts, Dingley
of Maine, and Cutcheon of Michigan; and then,
as mark of respect to the memory of the de-
ceased, the House adjourned.